Assessing the Thunder's Options With Gallinari

Zach Lowe of ESPN gives us some insight into why the Thunder might keep Danilo Gallinari.

If you fall into the category of wanting to see the Thunder roster stay together, then you're not alone.  Chris Paul, on Monday, said he was in favor of seeing things remain the way they are. Paul, a 14-year veteran, is no stranger to trade talk, and he's too savvy to say anything that can be misconstrued as negative toward his teammates. Paul also knows the business end of the NBA and Sam Presti's shrewdness; this Summer is a clear indication that he will do whatever it takes to maximize his assets even if it means trading your two best players. 

Ready to hit the court and continue the positive momentum.

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With that in mind, we come to the elephant in the room, which is Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari is averaging 19 points, shooting 41 percent from three, and he's playing 30 minutes per game. Stats enough to make any playoff team consider themselves a contender did we mention he's on an expiring contract? 

With all that ammo the Thunder have options, ESPN's Zach Lowe has the Heat as Gallinari's latest trade crush. It's not known what the Thunder's asking price would be if they were to deal Gallinari to Maimi. We know Presti wants to stockpile draft picks, and if the Thunder could gain a Justise Winslow (11.3 points per game) or Duncan Robinson (12 points per game 46 percent from three.) the latter of the two which is more appealing, it might be worth making a deal. 

Here's what we're wearing in February.

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Still, Oklahoma City is just a game and half out of the fifth seed in the western conference, and Presti wants to play "meaningful games" at the end of the season. If you wish to the Thunder to stay intact, this is where you get excited. Lowe says since the current salary cap is expected to drop, good teams might not have space to ink Gallinari as a free agent, therefore, the Thunder might be better off doing a sign and trade this Summer. 

Lowe also sees Dennis Schroder as a better candidate for a trade after the season than at the deadline. It's not often that what's best for a team is also best for its fans, but this is one team everything could work out for both.